Status of CP and CPT violation in the neutral kaon system

A phenomenological description of the neutral-kaon system is presented without assuming \CPT\ conservation. The experimental methods and the underlying assumptions used to determine parameters of the neutral-kaon system (\CP-violating and non \CP-violating ones) are discussed. The experimental results are combined to test \CPT\ conservation with as little prejudice as possible

Estimation of the material budget of the LHCb detector

The material budget of the LHCb detector at the time of the DC 06 data challenge is estimated

A Growth Model For International Education In Developing Countries

This papers objective is to build a collaboration framework to marshal the international cooperation among universities, not only within the same region in developing countries but also with developed countries. The research is based on selected case studies, which consists of top universities in Vietnam, Indonesia, Australia, the Netherlands, and the worldwide universities network. The suggested framework involves two core activities, which are teaching and learning, and research. These are influenced by required resources, policy, and accreditation. The key for successful collaboration lies in the relations between these elements; therefore, the collaboration will not necessarily follow a continuum. Keywords: collaboration in higher education, universit

Circadian activity rhythms in colonies of ‘blind’ Molerats, Cryptomys damarensis (Bathyergidae)

Various activity rhythms (general, feeding, and toilet) were measured under controlled laboratory conditions in two colonies of the Damara molerai Cryptomys damarensis, for 140 consecutive days (following a 30 day test period) under various photoperiod regimes (16:8 LD, 12:12 LD, and constant dark DD). As a general rule, all activities showed a significant diurnal rhythm with a period of 24 h under LD photoperiods. However, under a 16 : 8 LD photoperiod a very prominent activity component during the first part of the subjective night was observed, especially following a shift in photoperiod. The molerats responded rapidly to LD phase shifts. In constant dark, all activities had free-running periods of τ = 24,1-24,2 h, thus indicating that light can synchronize and entrain endogenous circadian rhythms in these molerats

Effects of season and reproductive state on lipid intake and fatty acid composition of gastrointestinal tract contents in the European hare

We investigated lipid content and fatty acid (FA) composition of gastrointestinal tract contents in free-living, herbivorous European hares (Lepus europaeus). Mean crude fat content in hare stomachs and total gastrointestinal (GI) tracts was higher than expected for typical herbivore forages and peaked in late fall when hares massively deposited body fat reserves. Changes of FA proportions in different parts of the GI-tract indicated a highly preferential absorption of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). A further reduction of PUFA content in the caecum, along with the appearance of odd-chained FAs in caecum, caecotrophes, and colon content, pointed to a biohydrogenation of PUFA in the hare's hindgut. GI-tract contents showed significant seasonal changes in their FA composition. Among PUFA, α-linolenic acid peaked in spring while linoleic acid was predominant in late summer and fall, which probably reflected changes in the plant composition of forage. However, independent of seasonal changes, GI-tracts of lactating females showed a significantly (+33%) higher content of linoleic acid, a FA that is known to increase reproductive performance in European hares. This finding suggests that lactating females actively selected dietary plants rich in linoleic acid, a PUFA that may represent a limited resource for European hare

Levels of State and Trait Anxiety in Patients Referred to Ophthalmology by Primary Care Clinicians: A Cross Sectional Study

Purpose There is a high level of over-referral from primary eye care leading to significant numbers of people without ocular pathology (false positives) being referred to secondary eye care. The present study used a psychometric instrument to determine whether there is a psychological burden on patients due to referral to secondary eye care, and used Rasch analysis to convert the data from an ordinal to an interval scale. Design Cross sectional study. Participants and Controls 322 participants and 80 control participants. Methods State (i.e. current) and trait (i.e. propensity to) anxiety were measured in a group of patients referred to a hospital eye department in the UK and in a control group who have had a sight test but were not referred. Response category analysis plus infit and outfit Rasch statistics and person separation indices were used to determine the usefulness of individual items and the response categories. Principal components analysis was used to determine dimensionality. Main Outcome Measure Levels of state and trait anxiety measured using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Results State anxiety scores were significantly higher in the patients referred to secondary eye care than the controls (p0.1). Rasch analysis highlighted that the questionnaire results needed to be split into “anxiety-absent” and “anxiety-present” items for both state and trait anxiety, but both subscales showed the same profile of results between patients and controls. Conclusions State anxiety was shown to be higher in patients referred to secondary eye care than the controls, and at similar levels to people with moderate to high perceived susceptibility to breast cancer. This suggests that referral from primary to secondary eye care can result in a significant psychological burden on some patients

Altitude-Compensating Nozzle (ACN) Project: Planning for Dual-Bell Rocket Nozzle Flight Testing on the NASA F-15B

For more than a half-century, several types of altitude-compensating nozzles have been proposed and analyzed, but very few have been adequately tested in a relevant flight environment. One type of altitude-compensating nozzle is the dual-bell rocket nozzle, which was first introduced into literature in 1949. Although the dual-bell rocket nozzle has been thoroughly studied, this nozzle has still not been tested in a relevant flight environment. This poster presents the top-level rationale and preliminary plans for conducting flight research with the dual-bell rocket nozzle, while exhausting the plume into the freestream flow field at various altitudes. The primary objective is to gain a greater understanding of the nozzle plume sensitivity to freestream flight effects, which will also include detailed measurements of the plume mode transition within the nozzle. To accomplish this goal, the NASA F-15B is proposed as the testbed for advancing the technology readiness level of this greatly-needed capability. All proposed tests include the quantitative performance analysis of the dual-bell rocket nozzle as compared with the conventional-bell nozzle